After 20 years of service as board clerk for the Blaine County School District, Cathy Zaccardi will retire on June 30.
Her retirement was announced and reluctantly accepted at Tuesday evening's meeting of the board of trustees.
Trustee Kim Nilsen jokingly suggested a vote against Zaccardi's plan to retire, but then said: "I would reluctantly like to make a motion to approve."
"We'll miss you very much," said board Chairwoman Alexandra Sundali.
Zaccardi will miss the board, too.
"It's been a real pleasure to serve this current board especially," Zaccardi said Wednesday, adding that "the others were good to serve too."
At 57, Zaccardi plans to retire no farther than to the small ranch she and her husband, Jeff, have owned for 16 years on Baseline Road south of Bellevue.
"We raise sheep and I'm going to devote my life to the land that I really love," she said.
It's not just her ranch that Zaccardi loves. She loves living in the Wood River Valley. Originally a native of New York City, she's lived her since 1967.
She and her father traveled to the valley at about that time.
"We took a vacation and wound up here," Zaccardi said. "We'd never seen Sun Valley so we came out here and decided to see what it looked like and my dad loved it."
Zaccardi is thankful for the 20 years she served as board clerk. She said she felt privileged to work with former Superintendent Phil Homer and current Superintendent Jim Lewis.
"And that will remain the professional highlight of my career," she said. "I just feel very fortunate to have worked with them during my career.
"I'd also like to thank the administration and the community for allowing me to serve the children. It's been very rewarding for me both professionally and personally."
Cathy Zaccardi
